I don't own Ronin Warriors. OCs are mine.

Chapter 16

Tiffany hated it here. She wanted to go home, to be with her friends again. Being trapped in a cold and dark room with nothing to entertain herself with dragged on, making it seem to Tiffany she was trapped here for weeks. The only positive she could see to this was she got to know her mother a bit more. Asami shared stories of their village and its people. She heard about her childhood and how Mizuki left to live with Hayate after they married. In turn, Tiffany told Asami her childhood from her years of training with Kaos to be a Priestess, living in the woods, meeting the Ronin Warriors, and helping them in their fight against Talpa.

The talks were pleasant and Tiffany looked forward to their talks whenever Asami had time to spare. The generals didn't bother her but sometimes Karver would pass by to stare at her for a few minutes before leaving her alone. To say that guy gave her the creeps was an understatement, and Tiffany was glad Sephiran gave the order that none of the generals could touch her for she knew Karver would have tried something.

Mika hadn't come back for to bother her since her first encounter. While Tiffany was glad, she couldn't help but wonder what had gone through Mika's head that day. She saw something that terrified her and, while it repulsed her, Tiffany did want to help. She thought that maybe if she could convince Mika that she was on the wrong side, maybe she could help her and Asami get out of here. But since she never came, Tiffany couldn't have a conversation with her.

Tiffany laid back on the mattress, staring at the ceiling when the door to her room opened and Kai walked in with Asami behind him. "Lord Sephiran would like to have a word with you."

She slid off the mattress, walking over towards them. Asami gave her a small smile as Tiffany passed her and rested a hand on the middle of her back, gently guiding her to their destination. They stopped outside the throne room and Kai opened the door. Tiffany stepped inside as the door closed behind her. In front of her, a chair was placed before the throne and Tiffany slowly walked over to it. She was startled to see a table with food placed on it. Her stomach grumbled at the sight, not realizing how long it's been since she'd had a proper meal.

"I thought you might be hungry." Tiffany jumped and quickly turned, taking a step away from Sephiran. She had been so focused on the food laid out in front of her that she hadn't heard him walk up from behind. "My apologies, my dear. I did not mean to scare you." He patted her on the back then walked past her, heading to his throne to sit. He noticed Tiffany hadn't taken her seat and gestured to the seat. "Sit, eat."

Tiffany raised her eyebrow, surprised by his generosity, but she cautiously took her seat. Staring at the food placed in front of her, Tiffany wanted to eat but was still careful. He may be trying to trick her after all or the food could be drugged to make her do his bidding.

"Are you not hungry, my dear?" Sephiran asked, tilting his head to the side.

She shook her head. "No, just…troubled."

"By what?" At the questioning look she gave him, Sephiran released a chuckle. "I see. I promise nothing is wrong with the food. I only want to talk. It has been twenty years since I've last seen you."

"Just a talk?" Tiffany stared at him then glanced back down at the food. Her will-power slowly dwindled until she grabbed the silverware on the table and started eating.

"Enjoying the food, Tiffany?" Sephiran asked after a few minutes of silence.

Tiffany swallowed the food in her mouth. "Yes…thank you."

Sephiran nodded. "Now then, for the past twenty years, you have been living with your mother's sister, correct?"

"No, I mean, I did until I went off on my own for a few years and then I lived with the warriors."

"Ah yes, the Ronin Warriors. They seem like a strong bunch, don't they?" Sephiran leaned forward on his throne. "Now tell me, the Inferno armor is what killed Talpa." At Tiffany's nod, he continued. "Would you tell me which Ronin wears this armor?"

Tiffany froze, her fork held in suspension before she slowly lowered it back on her plate. Her gaze hardened as she stared at Sephiran. "What do you want?"

Chuckling, Sephiran stood up and slowly walked over to Tiffany. "As you probably realized, this isn't my real body, which is banned in another realm. In order to get it back, there are certain…conditions that must be obtained." Sephiran stood behind the chair Tiffany occupied in. "It involves my generals, your Ronins," he rested his hands on her shoulders. "And yourself." Tiffany tensed, not at Sephiran's touch, but at what he was explaining. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

"You are what Talpa wanted," came Tiffany's nervous reply.

"Well, if Talpa thought I was going to follow him, then no. I would have taken over his being, replacing his body with mine. His presence would leave this world and I would take over as leader of the Dynasty."

"Then what?" Tiffany turned to look at him. "Take over the world? Create it in your own image?"

"Anything that I want." Sephiran moved his hands off her shoulders, calmly walking away from her. "Of course, I need to get the Ronin Warriors first."

"You're not getting them nor their armors."

"I don't want their armor, specifically. Only their powers."

"It doesn't matter. They will never give you what you want."

Sephiran chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at her. "My dear child, if you think your Ronins can stop me, you're wrong. I will destroy them, breaking their bodies and their spirits." Sephiran turned away, staring off into space. "Maybe I'll let my generals take turns breaking them. I know Karver loves to inflict as much pain as he can into his enemies."

Tiffany slammed her hands on the table, shooting up from her seat. "You will not hurt them!"

"Unless you have a different way to get what I want, then I still stand by what I will do." Sephiran walked further away from her. "Besides, my generals need punching bags anyway and I have a feeling those Ronins will be perfect to get their strength up."

"Wait!"

Sephiran stopped in his tracks, indicating that he was listening. Tiffany considered her words carefully before answering. "I know how to get their powers." This caught Sephiran's attention so he fully turned around to give Tiffany his undivided attention. "In return for telling you this, you will leave them alone. You will not hurt them nor give them to the generals. They will not become some plaything to you go your generals."

"Letting five young warriors go in exchange for information?" Sephiran shook his head, walking back over to her. "No, I want something else from you along with the information."

"What?"

Stopping in front of her, Sephiran peered down at her and said, "You." Tiffany took a sharp intake of breath, her eyes widening slightly. "You will stay here…forever."

Tiffany cast her eyes away from his, weighing her options. Either stay here and let her friends live or have her friends die and live with the guilt. She shut her eyes, easily coming to a decision, and snapped her eyes back to his. "I tell you the information in exchange for my friends' lives and my freedom" At his nod, Tiffany accepted the deal.

The doors from the throne room opened and Kai and Asami stood up from their seats next to the doors. Sephiran and Tiffany came out and Asami noticed the despair on her daughter's face.

"Kai, take the device off my daughter's ankle," commanded Sephiran.

"Are you sure that's wise, my Lord?" Kai questioned, but still did what Sephiran asked of him.

"Don't worry, she won't be going anywhere." Tiffany watched the bracelet come off and felt somewhat free. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes," came Tiffany's quiet reply.

Sephiran gestured for Kai to come into the room to relay to him the plans for the battle. When the two disappeared into the somewhat dark room and the doors behind them closed, Asami hurried to Tiffany. "What did he mean?"

Tiffany looked at her as tears swam in them. "It was the only way for them to be safe."

It all clicked for Asami, why Sephiran ordered Kai to remove the device from Tiffany's ankle, why he said she wouldn't go anywhere. "You didn't…"

Tiffany nodded, a tear escaping from her eye. Asami brought her daughter into a hug and ran her hand up and down her back to calm her trembling daughter. Overlooking the two, Mika stood in the hallway, wondering if what she did was the right thing.

Ryo stood outside on the porch, staring up at the sky. His eyes were narrowed, thinking about the fight that was coming up. Three days had come and gone, everyone training to gather up their strength to fight this new enemy. They knew if they lost, they would not just lose Tiffany, but possibly everything.

"Ryo?" He glanced back as Kayura walked up to stand beside him. "You've been out here for a while."

Ryo nodded, looking back up at the sky. "Just thinking. Everything boils down to this fight."

"Yes, it does." Kayura turned to him. "Do you think you're ready?" Ryo gave her a puzzling look. "I mean…once you go up there, there is no turning back. Everything will be decided on his turf, not yours."

"We had to go to Talpa's world two years ago to rescue Sage, Cye, and Kento and through everything we faced, we did beat him."

"Yes, you did, but this villain is different. I have a feeling he is planning a trap for us to walk right into. When I was under Talpa's influence, he didn't give you time to relax or train unless he was planning something."

"That doesn't scare us."

The others joined the two on the porch, all donned in their sub-armors. "Talpa didn't scare us away with his plans and neither will this new enemy," confirmed Kento and then punched his fist into his other hand. "And he'll pay for what he did to Tiffany."

"You guys ready to go?" Ryo asked them.

"We're ready," answered Sage.

Kalana and White Blaze walked up to the warriors with Mia and Yulie trailing behind them. Yulie held out the Jewel of Life. "I found this lying around, and I think this will come in handy."

"Thanks, kid," Rowen said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Don't do that!" pouted Yulie, fixing his hair.

"Great, he's picking up lessons from Sage," muttered Kento, earning some chuckles from the group.

"Be careful up there," warned Mia. "And come back safe with Tiffany."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," reassured Cye, giving her a small smile.

Kayura took the Jewel of Life away from Yulie's hands, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Yulie. This will help us in our fight." Kayura walked into the center of the backyard. "If you five are ready, then let's go." They nodded, walking over to Kayura, with Kalana and White Blaze close behind. She held up the Jewel of Life and it lit up, transporting them from the house to the world above.